Analysis of Song (Sylvia The Fair, In The Bloom Of Fifteen)
John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)
Sylvia the fair, in the bloom of fifteen,
Felt an innocent warmth as she lay on the green:
She had heard of a pleasure, and something she guessed
By the towsing and tumbling and touching her breast:
She saw the men eager, but was at a loss
What they meant by their sighing and kissing so close;
By their praying and whining,
And clasping and twining,
And panting and wishing,
And sighing and kissing,
And sighing and kissing so close.
"Ah!" she cried, "ah, for a languishing maid
In a country of Christians to die without aid!
Not a Whig, or a Tory, or Trimmer at least,
Or a Protestant parson, or Catholic priest,
To instruct a young virgin that is at a loss
What they meant by their sighing and kissing so close;
By their praying and whining,
And clasping and twining,
And panting and wishing,
And sighing and kissing,
And sighing and kissing so close."
Cupid in shape of a swain did appear;
He saw the sad wound, and in pity drew near;
Then showed her his arrow, and bid her not fear,
For the pain was no more than a maiden may bear;
When the balm was infused, she was not at a loss
What they meant by their sighing and kissing so close;
By their praying and whining,
And clasping and twining,
And panting and wishing,
And sighing and kissing,
And sighing and kissing so close.
Scheme | aabbcDEEEED ffggcDEEEED hhhxcDEEEED |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10001001101 111001111101 111101001011 101010001001 11011011101 111111001011 1110010 01010 010010 010010 01001011 1111101001 001011011011 101101011011 10100101101 101011011101 111111001011 1110010 01010 010010 010010 01001011 1001101101 11011001011 11011001011 101111101011 101101111101 111111001011 1110010 01010 010010 010010 01001011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,256 |
Words | 244 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 11, 11, 11 |
Lines Amount | 33 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 332 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 80 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 74 Views
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"Song (Sylvia The Fair, In The Bloom Of Fifteen)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22702/song-%28sylvia-the-fair%2C-in-the-bloom-of-fifteen%29>.
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